New York Times
By Jeremy Peters
December 3, 2014
House
Republicans on Wednesday were quickly closing in on the final details
of a spending plan to keep the government from shutting down next week
and, despite objections from more conservative
lawmakers, were preparing to call a vote next week.
Speaker
John A. Boehner and his leadership team are eager to avoid the kind of
bitter and politically harmful fight that led to a 16-day shutdown last
year. And their decision to overrule
many in the Tea Party wing of their conference will likely lead to an
outcry on the right.
But
two people who were briefed on the plan said that leadership was moving
forward anyway, even if it means relying on Democratic votes to win
passage.
The
spending deal that would come to a vote in the House has been
extensively negotiated by both Republicans and Democrats over the last
several months and contains elements that members of
both parties could likely support.
But
since almost all activity in Congress has been complicated by President
Obama’s decision to use his executive authority to shield millions of
undocumented immigrants from deportation,
passing a spending plan is no simple matter.
Conservatives
who feel their leadership is being too timid in taking on the president
openly expressed their frustration on Wednesday, calling on their
colleagues in both private meetings
and public conversations to take a harder line.
Republicans
have tried to use the annual appropriations process to curtail the
president’s action and devised a plan to fully fund all of the
government entities through next fiscal year except
the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for carrying
out immigration policy. The department would only be funded through the
first couple of months next year.
Democrats,
while not eager to go along, have signaled that they would support that
legislation, meaning that the government will not close its doors next
Thursday when its spending authority
officially expires. The White House has also indicated to House
Republicans that it would not object.
But
many conservative Republicans, long antagonistic to Mr. Boehner’s
position on any spending or immigration issues, believe that the
speaker’s plan does not go far enough. They would rather
see the entire government funded through a short-term plan that expires
early next year. And some are calling on any spending bill to
immediately withhold funding for those agencies tasked with carrying out
the president’s unilateral action, as well as holding
up all of Mr. Obama’s upcoming nominations not directly tied to
national security if he implements his executive action.
The
number of conservatives who abandon their leadership and vote ‘no’
could be as many as a few dozen, putting the speaker in an uncomfortable
position. But pushing the government to the
brink of another shutdown, he has said, is not something he is willing
to do as Republicans prepare to take control of both chambers of
Congress in January.
Conservatives
tried to rally members to oppose their leadership and bring the fight
to the president in the lame-duck session. Republican Senator Ted Cruz
of Texas crossed the Rotunda to help
fire up House conservatives — as he has done during previous
politically intense fights, and much to the chagrin of many of his
fellow Republicans.
Mr.
Cruz gathered with Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, a
vocal opponent of any immigration overhaul, and more than 20
conservative House members Wednesday morning at a private
Capitol Hill Club breakfast. And he again joined Mr. King and a handful
of House members at an hourlong rally in front of the Capitol to decry
what they call the president’s “executive amnesty.”
Mr.
King said the Texas senator had been playing an important role in
devising strategy to oppose the president. “He has an ability to
crystallize the thoughts and the opinions of the people
around the table, so that’s pretty important,” Mr. King said.
Speaking
at the rally, Mr. King called the president’s actions “fundamentally
unfair” and urged fellow Republicans to honor their campaign promises to
fight the White House over any unilateral
immigration decisions.
“Just
about every Republican candidate in the country campaigned saying if
you elected us, we will stop President Obama’s amnesty,” Mr. Cruz said.
“What I’m here urging my fellow Republicans
to do is very, very simple — do what you said you would do.”
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